Why UnSit?

Why should you UnSit ? A lot of reasons. Let’s start with your Health. The detrimental effects of sitting are well documented. Research shows that walking at work is the best way to undo those negative changes. Time. The competition for our time is at an all time high whether it’s work, family, your health or your favorite apps. It seems there is simply not enough time in the day. Studies show that a trip to the gym won’t undo the damage done by sitting all day but taking 10,000 steps at work will prevent that damage in the first place. Skip the gym after work and you just gained several hours a week. Creativity/Productivity. A recent study conducted at Stanford University found that people are 60% more creative while walking. And we’ve experienced that in real life: ever been stuck on a problem then solved it while on a walk? Something magical happens when we start walking. It’s like we’re freeing up our brains to really think.

Since we launched UnSit we have been gathering news articles and reports of scientific studies that document the ill health effects of prolonged sitting and validate the benefits of walking. There is so much information we divided up this page into five categories: Health - Productivity - Creativity - Our Blogs and Videos, see the filter buttons below. Check back from time to time and see what’s new and let us know if you see something that should be included on this page.

One of the best explanations of why you should UnSit your life is Dr. James Levine’s book GetUP. We consider GetUp to be the founding document of the UnSit movement. This book is a well researched, inspiring book and you can buy it on our SHOP page.

Our co-founder Rob Jacobs speaks about working while walking, and how moving while you think benefits your creativity and enhances your productivity. For this podcast he walked through the interview, discussing features and benefits of the WALK-1 treadmill. Listen right here on our site, or click through to SoundCloud to download the episode for later.

Here's a log of the podcast, if you want to skip ahead to certain sections:

1:09 — Professional backgrounds of Rob & Paul, the founders of UnSit

1:39 — Sitting is the New Smoking: “People are sitting too much and too long.”

14:45 — Scientific and medical discoveries that inspire and support UnSit’s mission

16:45 — How the WALK-1 be used in a work environment

19: 03 — The direction and future of working in motion

As Rob discusses in the podcast, when faced with a problem, most of us go for a walk. This is just as true for philosophers and inventors as it is for parents of teenagers. Something magical happens when we start walking. It’s like we’re freeing up our brains to really think. A Stanford study has confirmed that creativity increased 60% when subjects were walking on a treadmill. So the key was to create a treadmill that was designed for thinking. The answer, say the founders of UnSit, is the WALK-1.